Means for applying muslin to corrugated roofing



Jan. 16, 1934- J c, LEMMON 1,943,681

MEANS "FOR APPLYING MUSLIN TO CORRUGATED ROOFING Filed June 19, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 16, 1934- J. c, LEMMQN I 1,943,681

MEANS FOR APPLYING MUSLIN TO CORRUGATED ROOFING Filed June 19, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J62 Cale 0/2v Patented Jan. 16, 1934 PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR APPLYING MUSLIN TO CORRUGATED ROOFING John C. Lemmon, Hammond, Ind.

Application June 19, 1930. Serial No. 462,258

1 Claim.

My invention relates to the repair of roofing by the application thereto of the so-called canvas roof, which consists of applying a coating to the usual corrugated metal or similar l roof or side wall first of a basic asphalt cement or paint or a material of similar character, then applying over this while still not yet dry a layer of unbleached muslin or similar cloth, and after it the application of a second coating of the cement or paint. Muslin is most commonly used for this purpose, but it must be understood that my invention applies to any other equivalent material suitable for this pur pose.

Difi'iculty has always been encountered due to the shrinking of the muslin after it was applied, which caused it to stretch across from the top of one corrugation to the top of the A next, which was very unsatisfactory. Attempts have been made to avoid this unsatisfactory result by shrinking the muslin before applying it; but this was not found to be very satisfactory. The final method coming into use has been to push or pick a wrinkle in the bottom of each corrugation with some sharp in strument, such as the point of a knife, so as to provide the necessary amount of slack in the cloth. The use of the muslin damp is also advantageous as it makes the material easier to handle on the roof. This picking method, however, has made it necessary to use, instead of a full yard width of muslin, a split strip running vertically of the roof about half the width of the usual yard Wide material; and such a half width will, on the standard corrugated iron, cover five complete corrugations.

The work is applied by first coating with the cement a longitudinal strip from the cone to the eave of the roof and then spreading the damp muslin strip down over this coated surface and to date, so far as I know, thereafter picking the wrinkles down the corrugations to provide the necessary slack to prevent the muslin pulling away from the roof when it shrinks.

- It has also been the practice recently to lap the adjacent strips of muslin at the bottom of the corrugation as the torn edge of the muslin has a tendency to roll over, and, when the other edge of the adjacent strip is lapped over this, a sufiicient amount of extra material is supplied to take care of .shrinkagefor that corrugation. The biggest difiiculty with this system lies in the fact that it requires highly skilled workmen to -pick the creases or wrinkles in the muslin after it is applied. Moreover, any

wind of average or greater strength will practically make it impossible to continue with the work. Moreover, freezing weather, even though only slightly below freezing temperature, must end the working period because the exposed damp muslin on the roof will, of course, freeze too quickly to permit picking.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide a method and means whereby the difliculties now encountered with respect to labor and laying of the muslin may be avoided to a great extent.

More specifically it is a purpose of this invention to provide a method whereby the muslin is provided with the wrinkles or slack portions previous to its application to the roof and is then laid on the roof and coated in the usual manner.

It is also a purpose of this invention to provide a method and means whereby this forming of the necessary slack in the muslin may be ccomplished quickly and inexpensively.

I will describe my invention further by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein the preferred means for carrying the same out is disclosed. It is obvious, however, that the invention is not limited to the exact means shown and described, and it is to be distinctly understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the exact details shown and described except in so far as the invention is limited by the claim. 7 V

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a means employed in carrying out my improved method;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the rollers with the forming table removed;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the device;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective View showing the appearance of the material laid on the roof.

Referring now in detail to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 5, the numeral 6 indicates the usual'corrugated roofing, and the numeral 7 in this case indicates the muslin or other suitable cloth that is applied thereto in carrying out my invention. The purpose of this repair roofing is, of course, to cover up any leaks or openings that may have been formed in the corrugated iron due to corrosion or other cause, and the purpose of the muslin is, of course, to give a firm body and base to the cement or paints applied thereto. The tendency of the muslin to 11p shrink has caused a great deal of difficulty in making this type of roof a success. It is obvious that, if the muslin does not lie flat upon the iron, its value is practically destroyed owing to the ease with which it may be broken down between the ridges of the corrugations. The providing of the slack or wrinkles at the base or bottoms of the corrugations is, therefore, a necessity to the successful application of this method or roofing.

The difficulties heretofore encountered in this respect have been already described, and I have discovered a method whereby these difiiculties may be to a great extent avoided. This method consists essentially of forming the muslin previous to its application to the roof with spaced creases or wrinkles without in any way stretching the muslin sufhciently to cause the advantages, gained by providing the creases or wrinkles, to be lost due to the stretching. These creases or wrinkles are so formed that they will remain in the muslin until it is applied to the roof and coated with the paint.

The greatest difficulty encountered in carrying out this method is in the formation of the creases or wrinkles in the muslin without unduly stretching or distorting the rectangular relation of warp and roof. In order to accomplish this result, I have found that by first forming loose wrinkles in the muslin while it is free to move in any direction and thus adjust itself, and thereafter fixing these wrinkles by a suitable pressing mechanism, they can be put in place without any damaging stretching of the muslin.

' By damaging stretching, I mean, of course, any

stretching that would later cause the advantages gained by using the wrinkles to be lost when the muslin is applied to the roof. This precreased muslin may then be rolled and kept until it is time to apply it to the roof when it can be unrolled on the roof in the usual manner.

In preparing the muslin, therefore, I first start with the muslin spread flat but free from any holding means which will prevent its gathering, and then gradually as the muslin moves along form the wrinkles therein from imperceptible. changes in the fiat surface to rather sharp well. defined ridges having the requisite amount of material therein for the crease or wrinkle necessary on the roof. One means which I have found to be. very effective in accomplishing this result is shown in the accompanying drawings in Figs. 1 to 4.

Referring to Fig. 1, I show at 8 a platform upon which the damp muslin may. be spread, this platform being at its lower edge 9, of substantially smooth and preferably flat top surface. Beginning, however, adjacent the lower edge and extending toward the upper edge at 10, there are provided a series of wrinkle forming means as indicated at 11 in Fig. 1. These wrinkle forming means consist in the present instance of ridges which at their lower ends are relatively low and broad, but which gradually increase in height and decrease in width toward the top 10. The final cross sectional shape of the ridges at the top of the platform, therefore, is somewhat as shown in Fig. l.

The muslin is passed from the top of the board beneath the guide bar 12 which is cut away as shown in Fig. 4-. to permit ready passage of the muslin to a series of wrinkle fixing or creasing rolls which in the present instance consist of an upper roll 13 and a lower roll 14. One of these rolls, preferably the upper one, is provided in alignment with the ridges 11 with a series of grooves 15 of substantially the same depth as the ridges 11 and the other roll has a series of rings or collars 16 adapted to fit into the grooves 15 and thus fix, by pressing, the wrinkles preformed by the platform in the muslin. It is obvious, of course, that the width of the muslin over all has decreased from the time it entered the lower edge of the platform to the time it reaches the rolls by substantially the amount of material necessary to form the wrinkles or creases.

In order to then fix these wrinkles so that the muslin can be rolled up without destroying them, the strip is passed between another pair of rolls indicated at 17 and 18 which rolls are ordinary cylindrical rolls. The wrinkles or creases are, of course, turned over or laid down when they are started into the second set of rolls and the muslin so pressed down may be rolled upon a suitable receiving roller such as the member 20 and thereafter taken to the roof to which it is to be applied. This forming operation is preferably carried on with the muslin damp in order to facilitate working therewith and also to facilitate the fixing of the creases or wrinkles therein. This completed roll then can be taken to the roof and spread thereon shaking out the wrinkles so as to make them open up and the expensive labor of picking the wrinkles is totally avoided, it being only necessary to lay the muslin in position and to paint over it.

n passing h mu l n ro t e rolls 3 1'7, and 18, I have experienced great difficulty in obtaining a method whereby stretching of the muslin at this time can be avoided. a result of the difficulties, the method of driving therolls is as follows: Roll 1 8 is driven from a suitable source of power such for instance as the crank 21 and drives roll 17 by friction, the rolls being mounted, of course, in suitable bearing blocks in the end standards 22 and 23 and provided with any ordinary means for maintaining the necessary pressure therebetween. Roll 1'7 isthen CO1]: nected to roll 13 so as to rotate in unison there- 1-20 with for example by means of the sprockets, 24 and chain 25, Rollie is then driven from roll 13 by frictional engagement therebetween.

I find that therolls 13, 17, and 18 may be made of the usual rubber used for wringer rolls, but I prefer to form roll 14 of hard material such for instance as steel and particularly to formthe collar 16 of this hard material as this aids in fixing the wrinkles in the muslin.

From the above description, it isthought that the details of thisinvention will be clear to those skilled in thisart, and, having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A machine for forming wrinkles in roofing 1-35 muslin or other suitable material comprising a platform providing atop surface substantially plain at one end thereof and having, wrinkle forming elementsgradually increasing inheight from said end toward the other end of said surface, means for moving the material across said surface toward the last mentioned end thereof, and pressure rolls provided with opposed interfitting annular ridgesand grooves receiving said wrinkles for fixing the wrinkles in the material, said grooves and ridges being separated outheir respective rolls by substantially cylindriealportions.

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